The fridge is empty. The store will be crowded. And several pans still need to be washed. So getting a meal out seems to be the only viable solution. As if you had to be convinced. The Capital Region offers you so many delightful options that it will be easy to please your tastes (as well as the tastes of your kids or your date or your visiting family) no matter which direction you choose. And this guide will provide you with choices that will lead you quickly to a full tummy. Let the pans soak.

AMERICAN

15 Church

15 Church St., Saratoga Springs. 518-587-1515. 15churchrestaurant.c­om. From 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday; closed Sunday. Patio open Friday and Saturday through mid-October. $$$$. Handicapped-accessib­le. Street parking.In ambition and ambiance, 15 Church is fancy but not fussy, a success story of the bistronomie trend. Now, after its fifth summer (fourth for the popular patio), 15 Church is a favorite spot to bring a date or an old friend for drinks and an apkapetizer at the bar or for a seafood feast at the patio.From its immaculately detailed modern decor and pampering service to food — under the supremely creative and talented chef Michael Mastrantuono — that consistently surpasses high expectations, 15 Church is not only one of the finest restaurants in Saratoga Springs but in the entire Capital Region.

— Susie Davidson Powell

Bombers Burrito Bar

258 Lark St., Albany, 518-463-9636; and 447 State St., Schenectady, 518-374-3548. 11 a.m. until late daily. Schenectady location is handicapped-accessible; Albany is not.What started as a basement burrito joint has, amazingly, now been around for 21 years, meaning it's been part of the college life for more than five full cycles of undergrads. You don't have be young, or drunk, or enjoy Bombers' food, but you absolutely must be open to having a good time, whether it's for regular food and drink promotions, trivia or DJ events, or a giant free margarita for your birthday, complete with showers from a sparkler. It's been more than a year since Jimmy Vann, longtime operations director for Bombers founder Matt Baumgartner, bought the company, and he's kept it running as it always had while also expanding quick-serve options for office workers: Bombers now has lunch outlets on the Empire State Plaza and the Harriman campus, both in Albany.

— Steve Barnes

Chez Mike

596 Columbia Turnpike (Hannaford Plaza), East Greenbush. 518-479-4730. chezmikerestaurant.c­om. Lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; dinner from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday. $$$. Handicapped-accessib­le. Large shopping plaza parking lot.Chez Mike has been the best restaurant in its suburban town since it opened 10 years ago, and it's also reliably among the top options in all of Rensselaer County. Though the shopping-plaza location is convenient if not especially appealing for a quality restaurant, the interior makes you forget where you are, and the food is terrific. Chef-owner Mike Cohen does simple very well — try his burger, brick-roasted chicken or seafood chowder — but his training, at the Culinary Institute of America, equipped him to venture into pleasing and sometimes unexpected combinations.

— Steve Barnes

Famous Lunch/Gus's Hot Dogs

Famous Lunch: 111 Congress St., Troy. 518-272-9481. famouslunch.org. 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. $. Handicapped-accessible. Street parking.Gus's Hot Dogs: 212 25th St., Watervliet. 518-273-8743. 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. $. Handicapped-accessib­le. Street parking.For more than 80 years, miniature hot dogs served with a spicy meat sauce have been gobbled up by the thousands daily. Two of the stalwarts are Famous Lunch, open since 1932, and Gus's Hot Dogs, which recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. The dogs, ridiculously cheap at 60 cents apiece, are meant to be eaten in multiples, and it's almost impossible to spend more than $4 on a single item. In fact, four people can usually eat for less than $12.

— Steve Barnes

Fish & Game

13 S. Third St., Hudson. 518-822-1500. fishandgamehudson.co­m. Dinner starting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday; lunch, noon to 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; bar is open all day on weekends. $$$$. Handicapped-accessible. Street parking.If it were possible to take a perfect Hudson Valley afternoon, chop it up, cook it and lay it on plates, you'd get Zakary Pelaccio's seasonal fare at Fish & Game.Fish & Game is lively and creative, with a clear and exquisite love for its locally sourced ingredients. The presentation is as unstuffy as the flip-flop-friendly atmosphere. Meals like these are arrangements of appreciation and thought, more concert than chow. Fruits of Hudson Valley harvests are rarely loved and brought back to life like this.

— Bryan Fitzgerald

Ber­ben & Wolffs

227 Lark St., Albany. 518-599-5306, facebook.comber­benandwolffs. $-$$. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday. Street parking.(Joey Berben and Max Wolff) see themselves as a deli-cafe that happens to be meat-free, so "vegan" is conspicuously absent on print menus. Walk-ins either won't know or care, given options like the meaty faux-ham and "Swiss" Cubano panini ($12) and a glass case filled with vegan macaroni salad ($3), Buffalo mac and cheese ($4), and quirkily flavored gluten-free cupcakes. You have to try the BBQ pulled jackfruit ($11), dry-rubbed and sauteed in a homemade 'cue sauce spiked with cumin, brown sugar and chili and topped with purple-cabbage slaw. Proving the flavor versatility of the Asian jackfruit, this fat boy on a loaded sesame-seed bun is filling, even if it leaves your mouth squeaky-clean.

—Susie Davidson Powell

Jake Moon Cafe and Restaurant

2082 Delaware Turnpike, Clarksville. 518-768-2570. jakemoon.net. Breakfast and lunch 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; drinks and lighter fare, 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; dinner, to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; closed Monday and Tuesday. $-$$. Handicapped-accessib­le. Parking lot.One of the area's best breakfasts comes from Dan Smith, who spent a dozen years running the kitchen at the former Nicole's French restaurant in Albany. When he decided to open in what had been an ice-cream shop in a rural hamlet, he named the place after his woodsman great-grandfather. His combination of value pricing and simple but delicious fare brings in a combination of locals and city folk. For dinner, have steak, fish fry or, in the summer, a lobster bake. Make no mistake, this is simple fare, cooked and delivered without flair. But it's honest, direct and supremely tasty.

— Steve Barnes

Next Door Kitchen and Bar

51 Front St., Ballston Spa. 518-309-3249. eatdinnernextdoor.com. 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Monday. $$. Handicapped-accessib­le. $$. Street and public lot parking.In the capable hands of co-owners Matt Hall and Chris Fignar and executive chef Jeff Strom, Next Door Kitchen & Bar nails "green" on its reclaimed, locally sourced head. The happy confluence of creative dishes, a reasonably priced menu and an urban-rustic ambiance fills a pitch-perfect niche in the Saratoga-area dining scene. Hall and Fignar's urban-barn vision has come together seamlessly. Their commitment to sustainability is present from the walls to the beer, while Strom's seasonally inspired menu is directly influenced by local ingredients, some traveling just a block or two to your plate.

—Susie Davidson Powell

Peck's Arcade

217 Broadway, Troy. 518-326-3450. pecksarcade.com. Dinner, 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; upstairs Tavern closes 90 minutes later each night. $$$. Handicapped-accessib­le downstairs only. Street parking.I was going to scribble my review of Peck's Arcade as a glowing haiku and let photos of an octopus tentacle cuddling frisee and saffron beans do the talking. Because all you need is a little inspiration. The bottom line is you should go.Peck's has it all: An impressively knowledgeable and welcoming staff who discuss ingredients and pairings and compare notes; exciting, playful cooking that speaks volumes about latitude and morale; and a fun wine list worth exploring.

—Susie Davidson Powell

Slidin' Dirty

9 First St., Troy. 518-344-6975. 512 State St., Schenectady. 518-344-6975. slidindirty.com. Same hours for both locations: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, until midnight Wednesday and Thursday, 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 p.m. Sunday. $$. Handicapped-accessible. Street parking.Like Gracie's Luncheonette, another of our Essentials, Slidin' Dirty started as a food truck and grew into bricks-and-mortar locations in Troy and, now, Schenectady. You can't fault the menu. It's a trip. There are bang-up sides, salads, gluten-free tacos, award-winning mac-n-cheese and dirty little brats for the kids. Sliders are available as cow (beef), chicken, black bean or swine (pulled pork) as a trio ($13), a duo ($9) or a la carte ($5). Fresh sliders of the sea add a dollar or two. Monthly specials are posted on a board. Go ahead, mix and match. Given the dietary pitfalls of dining with finicky friends, who won't appreciate that?

—Susie Davidson Powell

Crave Burgers & Fro-Yo

271 Western Ave., Albany, 518-650-6463, cravealbany.com. 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday. $. Handicapped-accessible. Street parking.You could go for the Southerner ($9.95), a beef patty hoedown with fried green tomatoes, smoky bacon and buttermilk ranch, or head east for a house-made chile-ginger Kung Pao Shrimp ($10.50). We stayed loyally local to The Upstate ($9.50), a fennel sausage patty with wilted Utica greens, tart banana peppers, provolone, cherry pepper aioli and tiny, crisp prosciutto ribbons. While the double pork combo has a salt level that could shrivel your gums, the flavor of whole fennel seeds bursting with anise cuts right through. It's not your sausage, peppers and onions of the county fair, but a fine specimen indeed. Then something simple for comparison: a cheeseburger with everything ($7.95), ideally ordered by a native New Yorker in a downstate accent. It's a classic: pink in the middle, running with juices and dressed like a Big Mac (remember the jingle "special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions"?) under a shiny, brioche bun.

—Susie Davidson Powell

Swoon Kitchenbar

340 Warren St., Hudson. 518-822-8938. swoonkitchenbar.com. Lunch, noon to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; dinner, 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Tuesday, until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Wednesday. $$$. Handicapped-accessib­le. Street parking.In the fickle restaurant world, there's something to be said for staying power. A steady stream of chefs, food purveyors and culinary trends continue to find homes on Hudson's Warren Street, but originals like Swoon Kitchenbar have proven reliable mainstays, even as high-profile darlings quicken pulses and turn heads.By now, everyone is talking farm-to-table and sustainability, but Swoon's owners were among the trailblazers, venturing up from New York City just as new young farmers were turning Hudson Valley soil with renewed passion for terroir. They designed their evolving menu around a commitment to sustainable agriculture and the growing small-farm bounty.

— Susie Davidson Powell

The Wishing Well

745 Saratoga Road, Wilton. 518-584-7640. wishingwellrestauran­t.com. Opens at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 4 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday. $$$. Handicapped-accessib­le. On-site parking.A lifetime in the restaurant business has given Bob Lee the tools to breathe new life into the Wishing Well, a business his family bought in 1968, while honoring the people and consistency that have kept it strong. The Wishing Well doesn't take the classics and add ironic laboratory winks; the kitchen reproduces the old recipes faithfully. Meanwhile, it plays with new products, ideas and formats to attract a hipper crowd without taking anything away from longtime regulars. Understanding that today's younger customers are less likely to be interested in whole lobsters, complete with plastic bib for the diner, or steak Diane prepared as it has been since the restaurant opened, Lee offers wine dinners, themed dinners, takeout deals and smaller-portion prix-fixe meals that cost less for three courses than some entrees alone on the regular menu.

— Steve Barnes

Jumpin' Jacks Charcoal Pit and Drive-In

5 Schonowee Ave., Scotia. 518-393-6101. jumpinjacksdriveinin­-c.com. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. spring through Labor Day. $. Handicapped-accessib­le. Large on-site lot.Opened in 1952 as an ice-cream stand, this family favorite has also served burgers, dogs, fries and more since 1957. Though the line to order can look intimidatingly long on warm summer nights, it moves fast, and while you wait you can listen in on the staff's distinctive lingo. A "whale" is a fish fry, "whistler" refers to a shrimp roll, and a shouted "21" means a customer has requested two orders of French fries and one of onion rings. But don't use the slang yourself; it sounds silly, and the staff will have to repeat your order anyway to make sure you knew what you were talking about.

— Steve Barnes

Morrette's King Steak House

1126 Erie Blvd., Schenectady. 518-370-0555. morrettesonline.com. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. $. Handicapped-accessib­le. Private parking lot.One of Schenectady's casual-dining institutions, Morrette's, known for its signature steak sandwiches, seemed in danger of being lost to history a few of years back, after almost seven decades in business. But Frank and Kathleen Martin, a Scotia couple who own a used-car lot near Morrette's, bought the place and reopened, drawing crowds of hungry well-wishers.The menu is basic, old-fashioned and largely unchanged: fried appetizers, a few soups and salads, burgers and dogs, fried seafood and those iconic steak sandwiches, which are piled high with thin-sliced ribeye, mushrooms, peppers, three kinds of cheese and tomato sauce.

— Steve Barnes

Sperry's Restaurant

30 1/2 Caroline St., Saratoga Springs. 518-584-9618. sperrysrestaurant.com. 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Street parking. Handicapped-accessible.One of the oldest continuously operating restaurants in the Spa City, Sperry's has been serving since 1932. Its legend, lore and a superb courtyard patio, plus an enduring commitment to quality food and service, have helped maintain Sperry's popularity with locals, tourists and track fans alike. This is despite a roundelay of changes in ownership, management and kitchen staff over the past five or six years, capped off by a fire two years ago that kept the restaurant closed for about three months. The kitchen is now under the direction of industry veteran Scott Carlton, whose resumé includes the former Saratoga restaurants Sargo's and 43 Phila and a stint running his own spot, E.K.'s Cibo, in Schenectady. The general manager, Kareem NeJame, a native of central New York, returned to his upstate roots to run Sperry's after years in front- and back-of-house management positions in New York City.

— Steve Barnes

Black & Blue Steak & Crab

1470 Western Ave., Albany. 518-313-7388. blackandbluesteakandcrab.com/albany. 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. lunch service Monday through Friday; 4:30 to 10 p.m. dinner Monday through Thursday; 4:30 to 11 p.m. dinner Friday; 4 to 11 p.m. dinner Saturday; 4 to 9 p.m. dinner Sunday. $$-$$$, Handicapped-accessible. Parking lot.The name invokes Black Angus beef and blue crab as well a type of preparation for steak, with "black" referring to a hard sear on the outside but a cool, "blue" interior; the French term for a very rare steak is bleu. The menu will be essentially identical to the fare at existing Black & Blues: an almost exclusive focus on beef and seafood.All of the steaks are Certified Angus Beef; fish, including black grouper and red snapper, is sourced from a Florida purveyor owned by a relative of Fitzsimmons, meaning it is shipped overnight the day it comes out of the water by the company that caught it, according to Fitzsimmons. For beef connoisseurs, Black & Blue will regularly offer steaks dry-aged up to 50 days. There will be about 200 wines by the bottle, a dozen-plus by the glass, and 10 beers on draft. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner weekdays, dinner on weekends, though a Sunday brunch may be added depending on customer demand.

— Steve Barnes

The Cock 'n Bull

5342 Parkis Mills Road, Galway. 518-882-6962. thecocknbull.com. 5 p.m. to close Monday and Wednesday to Saturday; 3 p.m. to close Sunday; closed Tuesday. $ to $$$. Handicapped-accessible. Onsite parking.There are enough good places for steak and draft beer that going into the countryside to find a steakhouse in a 19th-century dairy barn could take some convincing. Despite the woods and acres of farmland you pass, it's not so far: 17 minutes from Ballston Spa, 25 from downtown Saratoga Springs, 43 from downtown Albany. Worth noting, because the Cock 'n Bull has been practicing seasonal farm-to-table since 1976 and still wears its credentials hard, the locavore mentality means whole chickens come from West Wind Acres in Glenville; short ribs, shanks and pot roast are pasture-raised Angus beef from Anderson Acres in Charlton. Service is warm and effortless, mostly in the sense it's relaxed enough to require little effort.

— Susie Davidson Powell

Angelo's 677 Prime

677 Broadway, Albany. 518-427-7463. 677prime.com. 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. lunch service Monday through Friday; 5:30 to 10 p.m. dinner service Monday through Saturday (with bar menu available 2 to 10 p.m.); closed Sunday. $$$$. Handicapped-accessib­le. Valet and street parking.There is one place we associate more than anywhere else with Angelo Mazzone, his food and opulent style: Angelo's 677 Prime. Big bills buoyed by expense-account-pric­ed steaks and pricey wines are still the sun around which 677 Prime orbits.Though the 14-ounce eye of rib is the "cheapest" cut of beef offered, at $39, it was everything you'd want from a high-priced steak. But stick around to the end. Every dessert here, all of them huge, is plated to make you laugh.

— Bryan Fitzgerald

The Bears' Steakhouse

8254 Duanesburg Road, Duanesburg. 518-895-2509. By reservation only: 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, until 8:30 p.m. Saturday. $$$. Handicapped-accessib­le. On-site parking lot.This regional institution, open since 1969, has an almost mythical regard among lovers of fine beef.Open for only a few hours a night, four nights a week, the restaurant is located on the first floor of the Payne family home, where son Robert Payne II continues the legacy started by his father, Bobby "Papa Bear" Payne, who died in 2013. Another son, John, waits tables, and their mother, Pat, makes the gargantuan desserts.The Bears' has won generations of devoted followers by following a simple formula: quality food cooked properly and served in a welcoming atmosphere.

— Steve Barnes

ASIAN

Ala Shanghai Chinese Cuisine

468 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham. 518-783-8188. alashanghai.net. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, until 9:30 p.m. Sunday; closed Tuesday. $$. Handicapped-accessib­le. On-site parking lot.The crab-and-pork soup dumplings at Ala Shanghai Chinese Cuisine in Latham are a sensuous delight. Little, plump pillows of smooth, soft dough, burst with flavorful liquid at the gentlest of bites, or pokes from an inexpertly deployed chopstick. The broth is potent with pig and crustacean.The dumplings epitomize everything that's right about the restaurant, open since spring 2010 and for its first several years the clear holder of the title of the Capital Region's best, most authentic Chinese restaurant. It's got some insurgents to fend off these days, but it continues to shine with tastes that are true, presentations artistic, prices more than fair.

— Steve Barnes

Celadon Thai

461 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham. 518-389-6190. celadonthairestaurant.com. 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, until 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, noon to 9:30 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday. $$. Handicapped-accessib­le. Lot parking.All you really need to know about Celadon Thai is summed up by its fish hot pot. You breathe in bright lemongrass, lime and basil before even raising a spoon. The broth activates sweet and sour zones across the tongue, grazing it with mild chile spice, while Thai basil leaves, cherry tomatoes and the flesh of firm white swai flash beneath, mushrooms bobbing on top. In one fell swoop, it delivers that signature burst so integral to authentic Thai cuisine, projecting high notes and layering flavors.

— Susie Davidson Powell

Fairy Sichuan

299 Central Ave., Albany. 518-426-1585. fairy-sichuan-cuisine.business.site. 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday; until 10p.m. Thursday, 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Monday. Handicapped-accessible. Street parking.The newest entry into the area's burgeoning Sichuan scene opened in March, taking over a spot in Central Avenue's culinarily rich strip from the cult favorite that was Northeast Dumplings House. The fire from some of Fairy Sichuan's dishes will cause your scalp to sweat, and the numbing heat from Sichuan peppercorns will give a lasting buzz to your lips. The boiled fish with fresh hot pepper comes in a huge bowl that's big enough to supply several more meals. Also try the cucumber with wood-ear mushrooms, or creep out neophyte guests by telling them, truthfully, that the translation of the Chinese name for vermicelli with minced pork is "ants climbing a tree."

— Steve Barnes

Sunhee's Farm and Kitchen

95-97 Ferry St., Troy. 518-274-3413. sunhees.com. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $$. Handicapped-accessib­le. Street parking.Anglicized sides, salads and stews are self-explanatory; starters only delve into Korean long enough to be recognizable as Asian pancakes, dumplings and noodles. Whether you know bibimbap from bulgogi or not, rice bowls have the familiarity of Buddha bowls, built with colorful grains, veggies and protein. Sunhee's signature bibimbap ($10) starts with firm purple rice scented with nutty toasted-sesame oil, a bright base for the colorful palate of fiddleheads (dried and foraged), crisp carrots and bean sprouts topped with a fried egg ($1) and a thimble of the restaurant's darkly sweet gochujang, a fermented soy paste base house-finished with ginger, garlic and Japanese fermented apricot wine.

— Susie Davidson Powell

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar

893 Broadway (in the former Miss Albany Diner), Albany. 518-451-9868. tanpopoalbany.com. 11 a.m. to close Monday to Saturday, noon to close Sunday; closing is never earlier than 10 p.m., depending on late-night business; $$. Not handicapped-accessib­le. Street parking. Shared parking lot across the street, next to Graney's Stout, is available after 5 p.m.Any ramen expert will tell you the broth is as important as good noodles in ramen. Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar may not be hand-pulling foot-long ramen in the kitchen, but their tonkotsu broth of pork bones, kombu (kelp), scallions and celery is simmered for a traditional 12 hours.In Japan, ramen evolution trumps regional authenticity: It's all about the next big noodle trend. Tanpopo doesn't have trendy tsukemen (ramen served with dipping broth) or newer mazemen (brothless ramen), but it serves hearty regional bowls — call it Albany ramen, if you will.

— Susie Davidson Powell

Tapasia

227 Lark St., Albany. 518-431-8818. tapasiaonlark.co­m. 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Takeout or dine in. $-$$. Handicapped-accessible: No. (Steps down from the street. Grandfathered in.) Street parking.Lark Street finally has pho, the aromatic version sold on Bangkok's Chao Phraya River, its beef broth humming with cilantro, cinnamon and star anise. And tonkotsu ramen -- egg noodles, egg and pork belly swimming in milky, 10-hour pork broth. You'll find them at TapAsia in the cozy, rustic basement formerly home to the wine-focused Flow from the Garden. Now you know, go and get some. My work here is done.

— Susie Davidson Powell

Hu's House

1619 Central Ave., Colonie. 518-313-7090. hushouse.net. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday to Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. Sunday; closed Wednesday. $-$$$. Handicapped-accessible. Onsite parking.We've been in luck lately. No longer limited to the greasy noodles and battered homogenized American-Chinese takeout, upstate is being colored in with regional Chinese: the blood-red chiles and tongue-numbing peppercorns of Sichuan cuisine and the "food of 1,000 mothers" from Shanghai, China's foodie epicenter. Many of Hu's dishes are labor intensive. Take the deboned, steamed duck rolled around salt-cured egg yolks in all its iron and salty glory. Sliced, it's the prettiest dish. The yolks alone take days. Or the texturally revered jellyfish, repeatedly washed, blanched and sliced into slippery strips that, to my Western mind, function largely as a flavorless rubber transporting fragrant sesame, soy and vinegar marinade to lips. Then there's the famed Beijing duck. Its lacquered shell gets dispatched tableside with shockingly quick cuts, the tender flesh slipped into squooshy bao folded like sock puppets over scallions and hoisin sauce.

— Susie Davidson Powell

Shu Chinese

2050 Western Ave., Guilderland. 518-389-6235, shualbany.com. $-$$. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. $-$$ Handicapped-accessible. Star Plaza parking lot.Shu opened in June 2016 as Osaka, a Japanese restaurant, but by June this year it had been reborn, its new name borrowed from the ancient southwestern state that is now the Sichuan Province of China and a clue to its regional specialties. Owner Chun "Daniel" Chen and his family, from southern China, left Osaka's phone number, Japanese furnishings and credit card slips unchanged, while their Sichuan chef began banging out delicacies dyed Sichuan-chile red, with sinus-clearing heat and meaty bones shockingly clean-cleaved, on a menu guaranteed to appeal to the growing community of local Chinese. Chen admits the Japanese venture simply didn't work: too much competition, not enough draw.Today's special is pig feet, a huge serving of eight to 10 trotters unavailable in a smaller portion (more's the pity), so I pass, because I've already flagged a half-dozen dishes I hardly dare to believe. You can expect nose to tail here: Pork ears in chile sauce, vermicelli with intestines, pig kidneys and toes. Mr. and Mrs. Smith ($9.50), a cold dish and Sichuanese starter, has been given a modern name (since fuqi feipian unappetizingly translates to "couple's lung slices"), with soft beef tongue and lace-thin, frilly ribbons of intestine stirred with celery, corn and peanuts into fiery chile oil.

— Susie Davidson Powell

Shining Rainbow

209 Central Ave., Albany. 518-396-3881. shiningrainbowny.com. 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Wednesday. shiningrainbowny.com. Handicapped-accessible. Street parking.Open for about a decade, Shining Rainbow continues to evolve in interesting and satisfying ways. It was originally a pan-Asian hybrid, known for its hotpot tables and excellent sushi, but the latter stopped after the Japanese tsunami and nuclear disaster in 2011 caused concern about radiation in the fish the restaurant was getting from Japan. Since then, the focus has been on Chinese cuisine, relying increasingly less on Americanized Chinese dishes and more on those featuring traditional proteins including tripe, ear, tendon, tongue and frog. With the past year it has also added a Sichuan menu on par with the best the area has to offer.

— Steve Barnes

Hong Kong Bakery & Bistro

8 Wolf Road, Colonie. 518-431-6520. hkbakerybistro.us. 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $ Handicapped-accessible. On-site lot.The display case is arresting: Behind glass, shelf upon shelf of delicious confections: pastries, cookies, puddings, mousses and savory and sweet buns. Haven't had honeydew mousse? Try it. As long as you're in a sweet mood, try a fruit smoothie or a peal tapioca. The restaurant even stocks Ovaltine and, reflecting the British influence on Hong Kong, Horlicks malted milk beverage. That's the bakery part of the name. Move on over to the savory part of the menu for three dozen dim-sum options; rice and noodles; and a lunch special of main dish, rice and soup for $8. Sort of hidden on the west side of the south end — got that? — of Wolf Road, with an entrance in the back, HKBB is easy, and a shame, to miss. It also opens early, so you can get country-style congee for breakfast, when it's meant to be consumed.

— Steve Barnes

Plum Blossom

685 Hoosick St., Troy. 518-272-0036. Search for page on Facebook. Noon to 10 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $$. Handicapped-accessible. On-site parking lot.Elaborately and ornately decorated, with a vast menu that ranges across a wide but familiar expanse of Chinese food, Plum Blossom has been around so long that is a contender for oldest Chinese restaurant in the Capital Region, which helps it be the frequent winner of the Times Union's Best Of poll. This is the Chinese equivalent of red-sauce Italian joints, hewing faithfully to the tried and true and often doing so very well. You don't go to Plum Blossom for anything remotely edgy or contemporary; you go for the kung pao chicken and the Volcanic Flame cocktail for two.

— Steve Barnes

Chez Nous

707 Union St., Schenectady. 518-344-6393. cheznousschenectady.­com. 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. $$$. First-floor spaces are handicapped-accessib­le through separate entrance. Street parking.The menu is classically French, the wine list has a number of appealing bottles in the $25-to-$50 range, and the service is professional and friendly. Entrees are on the high side for Schenectady but are merited, given what's being served.Be sure to try frisee salad with bacon lardons and poached egg, rabbit with mustard sauce and maple pot de creme. A winter hit -- rich pheasant pot pie beneath an airy puff-pastry crown -- came off the menu as warmer months approached, but it's worth keeping in mind, and asking that it be brought back, for fall.

— Steve Barnes

Mouzon House

1 York St. (off High Rock Park), Saratoga Springs. 518-226-0014. mouzonhouse.net. From 5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday; closed Tuesday. $$$. Handicapped-accessi­ble downstairs only. Adjacent municipal lot.It's hard to say whether it's this garden wilderness, the Victorian brick or the white curtains billowing from the open sides of the upstairs deck, but The Mouzon House exudes an Old World air.The card-carrying commitment to sustainable farming and local ingredients predates much of the modern farmie-love. Take as a given that this plays out wonderfully across seasonal menus which, as the website rightly warns, can change daily. If you're fussy, call ahead to ask.

— Susie Davidson Powell

INDIAN-PAKISTANI

Karavalli

9 Johnson Road, Latham. 518-785-7600. karavalli.com. Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; dinner, 5 to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, until 10 p.m. Saturday and 9 p.m. Sunday; brunch, noon to 3 p.m. weekends. $$-$$$. Handicapped-accessib­le. On-site parking.There are a number of satisfactory-to-good restaurants in the Capital Region serving Indian-Pakistani cuisine, but their menus tend to replicate one another, dealing mostly in the simpler dishes from the north dominated by tandoori chicken, samosas, pakoras and such standard fare. The 12-year-old Karavalli, which also has a Saratoga Springs location and one on Long Island, is not among them. Its regional Indian cuisine — from the shrimp dishes to the bhamia koota and the vindaloo — is distinctive, interesting, varied, authentic and terrifically tasty.

— Steve Barnes

Kabab Masala

1683 Route 9, Clifton Park. 518-280-3024, kababmasala.com. Closed Mondays. 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., then 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 12 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday; 12 to 9 p.m. Sunday. $-$$. Handicapped accessible. Parking in the plaza.Pukka, from the Hindi "pakka," meaning "cooked," is complimentary British slang for genuine or real. If you love Indian cuisine, you'll understand the quest for authentic food. Too many Indian restaurants offer Americanized dishes lacking requisite spice or heat, some swamped with heavy cream. Not so at Kabab Masala, where owner Sarwat Saddiqui is in the kitchen full-time overseeing all aspects of her cooking. Front of house, her husband, Imran, holds court. "We even put 'authentic' in the window," he says. "You won't find these kind of authentic dishes anywhere."

— Susie Davidson Powell

Zaitoon Kitchen

471 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham. 518-785-3600. zaitoonkitchen.c­om. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $-$$. Handicapped-accessible. Off-street lot parking.Zaitoon Kitchen is brilliant in style and as a softly tweaked spin on Afghan food. The simple menu has familiar Mediterranean, Pakistani and Turkish elements, dishes that migrated and morphed along spice routes. Of course, silky hummus and smoky baba ganoush are there, as is pillowy, hand-stretched naan; there are no gyros, but handcrafted and spit-roasted chicken or beef kebabs, and ground meats aromatic with cumin and spice, disappear into the soft folds of warm, blistered naan. Delicate mantu dumplings filled with onion and crumbled ground beef and scattered with mixed veg are hand-pinched (if you've never made mantu, you can't imagine how time-consuming this is), and their delicate shapes cup the garlic-scented tomato and strained garlic yogurt sauce. Kadu veers sweeter with roasted squash crescents slipped beneath a spiked tomato sauce tangy with vinegar and the subtle sourness of Afghan sumac.

— Susie Davidson Powell

INTERNATIONAL

Athos

1814 Western Ave., Guilderland. 518-608-6400. athosrestaurant.com. Open daily from 4 p.m. $$$. Handicapped-accessib­le. Large on-site parking lot.Being the region's only fine-dining Greek restaurant would be almost enough reason for the inclusion in this guide of Athos. But food as delicious as Athos' fare would stand out regardless of what category it was in or how many direct competitors it had.Start with a trio of Greek spreads; with one salad apiece or a shared entree, a dining couple would be plenty satisfied for a light weeknight meal. But then they'd miss the whole grilled fish filleted tableside, or the marvelously grand lamb shank braised in a traditional clay pot, or the grilled octopus, which Athos does better than anyone in the area.

— Steve Barnes

Yono's

25 Chapel St., Albany. 518-436-7747. yonos.com. 5:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday. $$$$. Handicapped-accessible. Free street parking after 5 p.m. or paid valet parking in hotel lot.Yono's offers a deft blend of contemporary American fare and the Indonesian cuisine of the homeland of the restaurant's founder and namesake, Yono Purnomo.The restaurant's exquisite level of refinement and service aims to match the best of Manhattan at half the cost, but it's still at the top end of the price spectrum in the Capital Region. And the wine list, under the direction of Dominick Purnomo, who operates the restaurant with his parents, runs to a deeply impressive 1,000 labels. Yono's is an ideal destination for special-event meals, but making a meal of shared appetizers will soften the bill.

— Steve Barnes

New World Bistro Bar

300 Delaware Ave., Albany. 518-694-0520. NewWorldBistroBar.co­m. Dinner, 5 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; bar open from 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, all day on Sunday; brunch, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. $$$. Handicapped-accessib­le. On-site parking lot.Over 30 years, wherever Ric Orlando is in the kitchen is guaranteed to be among the most interesting places to eat in the greater Capital Region. A high-spirited, rock-n-roll chef who's an evangelist for what he calls "clean" food — fresh, local, seasonal, minimally processed — Orlando draws his influences from all over the globe: Asian sits alongside Cajun, Middle Eastern, Latin and more on his menus. New World Bistro Bar, which opened in 2009, extends the New World brand first established when Orlando launched the now-closed New World Home Cooking in Saugerties in 1993, after a fondly remembered stint at the then-jazzy Justin's in Albany.

— Steve Barnes

The Shop

135 Fourth St., Troy. 518-874-1899. theshoptroy.com. Dinner, 5 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday, 3:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday (bar open later); Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for brunch, 3:30 to 9 p.m. for dinner; closed Tuesday. $$-$$$. Handicapped-accessib­le. Street parking or nearby lots free after 5 p.m.The Shop, in a space that was home to a hardware store for 94 years, makes use of every tool in the box and refashions urban-industrial as craftsman art. The menu crosses hearty Americana with international flavor. The menu is a cluster of current food trends: integrated flavors, rustic American fare, meats cured in-house, vegetarian cuisine gone mainstream. Rich Matthews (a Johnson & Wales alum), designed the menu from sashimi nachos to an empanada torta and a trios of poutines.

— Susie Davidson Powell

Umana Restaurant

236 Washington Ave., Albany. 518-915-1699. umanarestaurant.com. 5 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 5 to 10 p.m. Friday to Saturday; brunch, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. $$. Handicapped-accessib­le. Street parking.Everything at Umana Restaurant and Wine Bar — from the small plates of worldwide street fare and funky decor, down to the vibrant music and the staff's casual T-shirt dress — works harmoniously. No element stuns on its own, but together they create one of the more fun, inviting and satisfying spots to eat in this city. It's the type of place you fall for shortly after you step inside and can't wait to recommend after you leave. Plates range from a Thai-style calamari with chile-garlic sauce to samosas to fried chicken with Moroccan coleslaw to jerk lamb. Wines are heavily Chilean and Argentinean, aside from an excellent South African flight option.

— Bryan Fitzgerald

Persian Bite

703 Union St., Schenectady. 518-393-0693. persianbite.net. Lunch, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; dinner, 4:30 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 9 p.m. Friday and 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday. $. Handicapped-accessib­le. Street parking.There are plenty of reasons Persian Bite is deserving of praise. The most significant, however, may be that from the moment you spot the place in its digs, just up from Restaurant Row on Union Street, you tell yourself, "I think I'm going to love this place," and Persian Bite never disappoints. Other international eateries should take note on the blueprint used here: Be charming, be simple, be authentic, be memorable. This is a takeout joint but cute enough to entice you to stay. Atop the bright red tablecloths at each table are crystal-clear glasses for water and a vase of lush flowers, juxtaposed by a silverware set rolled tight in a paper napkin.

— Bryan Fitzgerald

ITALIAN

Cafe Capriccio

49 Grand St., Albany. 518-465-0439. cafecapriccio.com. 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $$$. Not wheelchair-accessibl­e; two steps down from sidewalk. Street parking.This basement lair with Italian opera on the stereo could have become one of those longtime restaurants that feels preserved in amber, where the only thing that changes is the price. But while the legendary escarole and beans and pasta puttanesca remain on the menu, deservedly so, the restaurant has been infused with a few new directions as Franco Rua, son of founder Jim Rua, has expanded his role in the kitchen. Among the deeply pleasurable additions are house-cured charcuterie.The dining room's round corner booth has been judged by many to be the most romantic table in Albany.

— Steve Barnes

Caffe Italia Ristorante

662 Central Ave., Albany. 518-459-8029. caffeitaliaalbany.co­m. 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday. $$$. Handicapped-accessib­le entrance but tight interior space. Street parking.This neighborhood institution is still run by the family that founded it in 1963, the Romeos, and the fare is hearty, heavy classics from their Calabrian and Neapolitan ancestry. The restaurant has only 42 seats. They're usually filled, even on weeknights, often with generations of families, as befits a place where generations are highlighted, along with celebrity patrons, in photos on the walls.The ingredients and preparations are standard and predictable, but the execution makes the finished dishes stand apart from the area's ubiquitous Italian eateries and especially from the national chains.

— Steve Barnes

Mio Posto

200 Lark St., Albany. 518-542-7581. miopostoalbany.c­om. From 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday. $$-$$$. Handicapped-accessible at sidewalk tables only. Street parking.Indulge me while I get a little starry-eyed over the recent arrival of Mio Posto in downtown Albany after its displacement from Saratoga Springs by fire. Who am I to ask the gods what transpired for the former Lark & Lily to become available as Mio Posto's new home? Did Sylvia Meder Lilly wake up one morning and decide it was time to pass the baton? Was it preordained that chef-owner Danny Urschel and Lilly, who worked together at Yono's some 20 years ago, would come together this way? Who knows? But rarely is there such a seamless hand-in-glove merger of displaced restaurateur and turnkey digs. Put your dinner in the fridge and get over there. When you can tell friends you're taking them out for a good meal — and it actually is — that's news you can bank.

— Susie Davidson Powell

Taverna Novo

62 Beekman St., Saratoga Springs. 518-886-1680. tavernanovo.com. 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday. $$-$$$.Dinner feels properly Italian: a flurry of plates passed family-style, libations and noisy table talk. Spuntini (shareable small bites) reappear as primi or secondi for hungrier appetites. In its smallest version, Spanish octopus grilled in the wood fire is a section of tentacle, its center snow-white and tender, balanced on cannellini beans brightened with garlic, olive oil and softened lemon. Flowering herbs on every dish boost tart, spicy and mustard notes.We scrape stracciatella spilling from the burrata alla Facchini. Scattered in pea-shoot pesto and crushed Sicilian pistachios that are moist and sweet, cool young pea shoots contrast against wizened tomatoes sweetly concentrated by fire. There's another burrata dish named after the Novos, but order this one for a near religious experience.

— Susie Davidson Powell

Ferrari's Ristorante

1254 Congress St., Schenectady. 518-382-8865. ferrarisristorante.com. 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday. Handicapped-accessible. Street parking.When you're here, you're family, and you get treated as such, which in Italian-American tradition means warm hospitality and hearty portions of old favorites. Do have the veal Pepe, with horseradish cream, but bring others, too, so they can order the braciole with Mamma Ferrari's famous stuffing, or one of the noddle dishes, which are so big they're headlined "Lotsa Pasta." For dessert? Cannoli, naturally, And cream puffs. That's what Mamma would want. It's worked since 1974. Why change?

— Steve Barnes

PIZZA

DeFazio's

266 4th St., Troy. 518-271-1111. defaziospizza.com. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday. $-$$ Not handicapped-accessible.During the long wait for the next incarnation of DeFazio's, which will vastly expand the offerings and space when it opens sometime next year, the wood-fired pizzeria and adjoining specialty-foods store will do what they do best: celebrate Italian and Italian-American fare. An institution in Troy's Little Italy since 1961, with wood-wired pizza since 1991, DeFazio's makes excellent pizza, pasta and antipasta, mostly to takeout customers (the storefront seats less than 20). Among DeFazio's fans is former secretary of state, senator and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who liked the food so much she invited second-generation owner Rocco DeFazio to be her guest in 2006 during then-Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's address to a joint session of Congress.

— Steve Barnes

Kay's Pizza

10 Walsh Lane, Averill Park. 518-674-5413. kayspizza.com. Open for dinner seasonally from April through mid-October. $-$$. On-site parking lot.Now in its 60th season, Kay's remains largely the same, the smell of sauce and bubbling cheese cutting through the clatter of families having dinner and the line of regulars at the bar who cut out of work early to beat the rush that begins the second the door opens. You love it for the checkered tablecloths, the sloped wooden floors where you spill a soda in one corner and find the remains in the opposite one, the arcade games that draw kids like they're being pulled over by strings of hot mozzarella. The thing that keeps a place like this going is caretakers who really care for it, who find value in tending to someone's memories, the way sauce melting on the tongue rekindles the happiness of a Little League victory or first date when all the details have faded.

— Jennifer Gish

Marino's Pizza and Restaurant

1301 State St., Schenectady. 518-346-6992. marinosflyingpizza.com. 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. Monday through Thursday; 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 3 to 11 p.m. Sunday. $-$$. Handicapped-accessible. Parking lot.When you're in the Electric City, homey Italian food isn't hard to find. A majority of the spots are on Schenectady's Little Italy section of Jay Street, but Marino's Pizza and Restaurant will take you a little further down State. Marino's puts two things up front: The State Street pizza place is family owned and operated – "you will still find Mario making pizza most Friday nights" says the website – and its classic Italian menu. The scroll of photos on the restaurant's website will show off more of that, but most customers will agree: The pizza is king.

— Sara Tracey

Red Front Restaurant

71 Division St., Troy, 518-272-9241; or 1747 Route 9, Clifton Park, 518-280-7008. redfrontrestaurant.com. Open from 11 a.m. Tuesday to Saturday, noon Sunday, closed Monday. Handicapped-accessible.Now 62 years old, the Troy location of Red Front is an institution, serving large potions of reliable Italian-American standards and its signature COB pizza ("cheese on the bottom"). The red sauce overing the molten blanket of mozzarella is simple and sweet — sweet enough to start arguments if you're with newcomers, but they just don't get it. Red Front does its thing; your job is to come in, enjoy and chow down as you have since childhood. If your family left Troy a few decades back for the northern 'burbs, you've got a Red Front in Clifton Park, too.

— Steve Barnes

MEDITERRANEAN

Tara Kitchen

431 Liberty St., Schenectady. 518-708-3485. 172 River St., Troy. 518-328-6281. tarakitchen.com. 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday, until 10 p.m. Friday; to to 10 p.m. Saturday. $$. Schenectady location not handicapped-accessib­le, but Troy is. Street parking.One of the joys of Tara Kitchen, which opened its original Schenectady location in spring 2012, is that the open kitchen is behind the barlunch counter, so you get to bask in an aromatic polyphony while watching owners Muntasim Shoaib and Aneesa Waheed sizzle, saute and load the next pots.Waheed grew to love Moroccan during a year she and her husband spent in his North African homeland, and they started selling Moroccan and Indian specialties from a kiosk at the Schenectady Greenmarket. A neighborhood fan base urged the couple to open a restaurant. Continuing success led to expanding to a Troy location earlier this year.Everything at Tara is cooked with simplicity, honesty and time, so there are fortunately a number of fun appetizers in the $4 to $5 range.

— Steve Barnes

Alaturco Mediterranean Grill

2007 Doubleday Ave., Ballston Spa. 518-490-2338. alaturcogril­l.com. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday, closed Monday. Free delivery within 8 miles. $$. Parking in front. Fully handicapped-accessible interior, one small step to entrance.Alaturco Grill is more polished than many of my pilgrimages in search of good, cheap eats. And with the added benefit of one or two Turkish wines and beers on the menu, Alaturco's authenticity is refreshingly real.Perhaps it's not so surprising given that the owners, chef and staff are all of Turkish descent. Co-owner Saba Kum found an experienced Turkish executive chef in her business partner's brother, Ralph Ziya. Ziya's career spans three decades in restaurants from Brooklyn to Florida, California and upstate, apparently ample proving time to perfect his mother's recipes.

— Susie Davidson Powell

Phoenician's Mediterranean Palace

71 Fuller Road Mall, Colonie. 518-464-4444. phoeniciansofalbany.­com. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Friday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday; 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday. $-$$. Front parking lot on Fuller Road. Handicapped-accessibile.If the mezze platter at Phoenicians Mediterranean Palace hasn't already lured you to Fuller Road, Robert Rahal's ambitious plan to fill the new 11,000-square-foot warehouse location of his family-run Lebanese restaurant has finally come to fruition making it a perfect stop for mezze, Lebanese dinner, or a pick-me-up with coffee and Levantine sweet pastries. Its division into several multi-use zones -- including the restaurant dining room, deli counters, a custom-built bar with sports TVs, and a coffee lounge -- has softened the cavernous space. The long-awaited wine and beer license is in place with eight beers on tap and a selection of 25 wines, including two from Lebanon. Hot and cold food counters turn out sandwiches, man'oushe and falafel to order, and coolers filled with boxed grape leaves, babaghanoush, fluffy garlic toum and pita bread are easy grabs for meals on-the-go.

— Susie Davidson Powell

MEXICAN

Ama Cocina

4 Sheridan Ave., Albany. 518-776-4550. amacocina.com. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Sunday. $$-$$$. Handicapped-accessib­le. Street parking or downtown paid parking lots.From the tequila wall to the oversized Frida Kahlo-inspired mural and overhead garage door that lets the Ama Cocina party spill into the street in warm months, Ama Cocina is about as "street" as a carefully manufactured boy band. The food is refreshing, arguably better than 85 percent of the area's familiar Mexican offerings. The menu is a vibrant one-pager, nicely curated with small plates and "shareables," hand-pies and homemade taco couplets. Ama's signature guacamole is a chunky, citrus-spiked mash with preserved lime and orange zest. A sweet version mixes up a chayote and pear slaw and toasted coconut; the savory pairs tomato jam with corn relish, cilantro, pickled peppers and "bbq" shrimp.

— Susie Davidson Powell

La Mexicana

1759 State St., Schenectady. 518-346-1700. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. $. Handicapped-accessib­le. Small parking lot.Although plentiful throughout other parts of the country, places like La Mexicana Grocery and Restaurant are rare in the Capital Region.Everything is made in-house, mostly by Maria Sosa, who was born in a small town just outside Guadalajara and uses recipes handed down from her mother. Her husband, Everardo Sosa-Mendoza, was raised near Oaxaca and has learned form this wife. The couple's skill is evident throughout the more-than-affordable menu, which includes all of the standards — tamales, fajitas that are enough for two, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas and tacos. Soups like posole, thick with hominy and pork, are cooked daily.

— Bryan Fitzgerald

Oaxaquena Triqui

77 N. Lake Ave., Albany. 518-645-0080. oaxaquenatriqui.com. 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 9 p.m. Sunday. $-$$. Accessibility: One step at front door. Street parking.This is a light, bright Mexican market, familiar in diverse big cities and less frequently upstate, serving regulars who stock up on spices and flavors that make their cooking sing of home.In the back, where colorful flags and tapestries are strung on white walls, owners Gricelda Herrera and Hector Hernandez run a tiny little taqueria, making soft flour sopes and fluffy tortillas by hand and providing an enticingly regional taste of southern Mexico.There's no Tex-Mex iceberg and taco sauce here. This is bright, fresh-tasting Triqui cuisine in a compact menu flavored with epazote, hoja santa, seedy fresh tomatillo and lime.

281 New Scotland Ave., Albany. 518-487-4152. albanyaleandoyster.com. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Saturday, noon to 11 p.m. Sunday. $. Handicapped-accessib­le. Street parking.There's something intensely refreshing about a place that knows exactly what it is. Albany Ale & Oyster has its niche: neither gastropub nor tavern; not bar, grill or restaurant. It's a "bottle shop and tasting room," and, by golly, is does it well. Just as the craft-beer trend has small-batch breweries experimenting with hops and flavors, Ale & Oyster has positioned itself as curator and purveyor, expanding the conversation with guest brewers and a rapid rotation of brews. The food menu skips fried fare in favor of shared charcuterie and cheese boards, hot dogs, warm pretzels and loaded sandwiches giving hearty eats a civilizing influence. Overall, Ale & Oyster is rustic, cozy, convivial and cheap.

— Susie Davidson Powell

The City Beer Hall

42 Howard St., Albany. 518-449-2337. thecitybeerhall.com. 11 a.m. to close. Monday through Sunday. $. Not handicapped-accessible. Street parking.It's possible to love The City Beer Hall without every having eaten anything there besides the Frisbee-sized free pizzas doled out with every pint. That it offers a funky menu of gastropub grub worthy of this gorgeous space elevates City Beer Hall into a highly desirable spot that is also consistently pleasing and affordable. Cooking is soulful and fun, offerings are atypical and adventurous, just far out enough to tempt without turning away any palates accustomed to standard bar fare.

— Bryan Fitzgerald

Druthers

1053 Broadway, Albany. 518-650-7996. druthersbrewing.com. 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday (bar open until midnight daily). Street parking and free nearby lot after 4 p.m. weekdays and all day on weekends. 381 Broadway, Saratoga Springs. 518-306-5275. 221 Harborside Drive, Schenectady. 518-357-8640. Hours at both: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday (bar open until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight Friday and Saturday). $$. All handicapped-accessib­le.At 11,000 square feet for the brewery and 7,500 square feet for the restaurant and bar, Druthers in Albany is jaw-droppingly large. The menu makes all the right moves, keeping some Saratoga favorites but giving license with a seasonal menu. Yes, there's the famous gooey, cheesy blend of mac-n-cheeses available straight up or loaded with smoked chicken, pulled pork or short ribs, in a nod to the craze for all things 'cue. And Druthers takes burgers seriously. Habanero-pineapple slaw, bacon, Black Forest ham and jerk glaze bliss-out a Spicy Island burger.

— Susie Davidson Powell

The Olde English Pub & Pantry

683 Broadway, Albany. 518-434-6533. TheOldeEnglish.c­om. 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday to Saturday, until 11 p.m. Sunday. $$. Accessibility: steps at front door; patio and rear garden are handicapped-accessible. Street parking.What began life as a bar with really good, mostly English beer and an afterthought of a food menu has become a solid dining destination. Even the entrees, including chicken tikka masala and an excellent fish-n-chips, are priced in the mid-teens, with only a steak breaking $20. Also be sure to try the Scotch egg, made with local duck egg and duck sausage. In pleasant weather the back garden is the best outdoor restaurant space in Albany.

— Steve Barnes

The Ruck

104 Third St., Troy; 518-273-1872. getrucked.com. 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday; kitchen open until 1 a.m. those days; noon to 4 a.m. Sunday with lunch and liquor until midnight. $. Handicapped-accessib­le. Street parking.David Gardell, the Ruck's owner, wanted a chef who could make food that was refined but unstuffy enough to match one of the best draft beer lines in the city. That would be Rachel Mabb, serving a "Bitchin' Kitchen Menu," one of the funkiest bar menus around. You can still order a standard burger, but with options like a Brau Burger, smeared with spicy cheese, stout onions and IPA mustard. The food meshes flawlessly with the Ruck's atmosphere -- gnarly, in a good way. The bar and the tables around it are thick, tattered wood. It's not as polished as other beer-centric bars, which fits the feel of a true neighborhood hangout.

— Bryan Fitzgerald

The People's Pub

36 Main St., Chatham. 518-392-2337. thepeoplespub.co­m. Bar hours: 5 to 11 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday; 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday. Kitchen hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday; 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday. $-$$$. Handicapped-accessible. Street parking.Fed by the hyperlocal farms and popular farm stands named on the menu, prices — with no entree currently exceeding $23 — are astonishingly keen. It's food grown by the people, priced for the people. For all the effort, dishes hover at pleasant without quickening the pulse. (They effectively heft the strongman hammer without striking the bell.)

— Susie Davidson Powell

Tipsy Moose Tavern

185 Old Loudon Road, Latham. 518-631-4444. tipsymoosetavern­.com. 11:30 to 1 a.m. Monday to Friday, 10 to 1 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Brunch offered 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends, with the regular menu available from noon. $-$$. Technically ADA compliant but space is packed tight. Small on-site parking, overflow at 175 Old Loudon Road. Troy location at 62 Vandenburgh Ave. to open.Food at the Tipsy Moose Tap & Tavern in Latham is not subtle. It's the shouty, Guy Fieri-style fodder of extreme TV shows, reckless last suppers and gastronomic one-night stands. No surprise then that by the end of our meal I'm pulling red onion and an anemic slice of winter tomato from the rubble of a Moose Rack burger. I nibble on it, appreciating its raw crunch and pondering what we've done.

— Susie Davidson Powell

Slick's Restaurant & Tavern

127 S. Ferry St., Schenectady. 518-370-0026. facebook.comSlicksRestaurantandTavern. 11 a.m. to midnight Monday to Saturday, noon to midnight Sunday. $. One step at front door. Street parking.The signs says, "Famous for sandwiches since 1974." That's the year Mike and Barbara Naumoff took over from founder Doug Slick, though the corner location, at Liberty and Ferry streets in the Stockade district, is believed to have been a bar as far back as the early 19th century. Sandwiches are about all they serve: ham, turkey, roast beef, corned beef or tuna salad, on white, wheat or rye. They're enormous. How big? Put your fist between two slices of bread. That's how big. Mike wears a black vest over white shirt, Barbara an apron. Their hair is now silver. Why only sandwiches? They bought the business from Doug Slick, a Damon Runyonesque character, but he continued to live upstairs, and he didn't want to deal with the smell of cooking food. Thus, sandwiches. And about 40 beers, all cold, most familiar. That's your corner bar.

— Steve Barnes

SEAFOOD

Reel Seafood

195 Wolf Road, Colonie. 518-458-2068. reelseafoodco.co­m. 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 10:30 p.m. Friday, 3 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday. $$$-$$$$. Handicapped-accessib­le. Parking lot.A locally owned holdout among the dozens of chains on Wolf Road in Colonie, Reel Seafood has been serving our oceans' finest for more than three decades. An expensive renovation three years ago rebooted the look and the kitchen, but seafood remains the star, from creative entrees to simply prepared slabs of fish served with one sauce and one side. Founder LeGrande Serras, who officially sold the business a few years ago, remains